Vennira Aadai
Vennira Aadai (transl. White Dress)[lower-alpha 1] is a 1965 Indian Tamil-language romance film, directed by C. V. Sridhar. The film features Jayalalithaa, Srikanth, Nirmala and Major Sundarrajan in lead roles. The film, produced by Chithralaya Pictures had musical score by Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy. The film was remade in Telugu as Sharada (1973), in Hindi as Dulhan (1975) and in Kannada as Deepa (1977). This movie is inspired from the 1962 film David and Lisa.
| Vennira Aadai | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | C. V. Sridhar |
| Produced by | C. V. Sridhar |
| Written by | C. V. Sridhar Chitralaya Gopu |
| Story by | C. V. Sridhar |
| Starring | Jayalalithaa Srikanth Nirmala Moorthy |
| Music by | Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy |
| Cinematography | G. Balakrishna |
| Edited by | N. M. Shankar |
Production company | Chithralaya Pictures |
| Distributed by | Chithralaya Pictures |
Release date | 14 April 1965 |
Running time | 178 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
Sreekanth is a famous psychiatrist and has earned much praise from his mentor and people in the town. He is in love with Venniradai Nirmala. One day, he is assigned the task of curing a mentally unstable woman (Jayalalithaa) who lives in Kodaikanal. Srikanth informs about this to his lover and requests her to wait for him until he finishes this case. Srikanth promises he will return for her and sets out to Kodaikanal. On arriving, he is welcomed by Jayalalithaa's parents, who are very much distressed with their daughter's condition. Srikanth questions them about her past, but they conceal it initially, as it might have a severe consequence on her future. Upon reiteration that knowing her past will be very useful for him to cure her, Jayalalithaa's parents reveal her awful past. Jayalalithaa, at a very young age, got married and within hours, the couple met with an accident and her spouse died. Due to the aftermath of the accident and upon learning of her husband's death, Jayalalithaa loses her mental stability. As days pass by, Srikanth cures her for good. Her parents are happy on learning that Jayalalithaa has completely forgotten her past to begin a new life. Jayalalithaa begins to fall in love with Srikanth, but is reluctant to profess her love to him, instead she tells her parents. Srikanth, upon learning this, fears that she might go back to her old condition if she learns that a girl is awaiting him. Srikanth, having no courage, informs about this to Jayalalithaa's parents. Srikanth marries Venniradai Nirmala and Jayalalithaa on the other hand, tells that she indeed remembers her past and wears a white saree (tradition where a widow wears a white saree) and convinces herself of her destiny.
Cast
- Jayalalithaa as Shobha (a) Sowbagyavathi
- Srikanth as Chandru (Doctor)
- Nirmala as Geetha (Chandru's lover)
- Moorthy as Moorthy (Geetha's nephew)
- Major Sundarrajan as Shobha's father
- Asha as Asha
- Kumari Rukmini as Shobha's mother
Production
Vennira Aadai marked the debut of Jayalalithaa in Tamil cinema.[2]
Soundtrack
The music was composed by Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy.[3] "Neeraadum Kangal" was not included in the film.
| No. | Song | Singers | Lyrics | Length (m:ss) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Alli Pandhal" | L. R. Eswari, Raju | Kannadasan | 03:13 |
| 2 | "Ammamma" | P. Susheela | 03:23 | |
| 3 | "Chiththirame" | P. B. Sreenivas, S.Janaki | 03:34 | |
| 4 | "Enna Enna Vaarththaigalo" | P. Susheela | 03:44 | |
| 5 | "Kannan Ennum" | P. Susheela | 03:25 | |
| 6 | "Nee Enbadhenna" | L. R. Eswari | 05:03 | |
| 7 | "Neeraadum Kangal" | P. Susheela | 03:14 | |
| 8 | "Needhi Idhuthaana" | P. B. Sreenivas | 02:55 | |
| 9 | "Oruvan Kaadhalan" | P. B. Sreenivas, P.Susheela | 02:55 |
Reception
Vennira Aadai was released in 1965. It received an "A" (adults only) certificate from the CBFC due to one song sequence featuring Jayalalithaa bathing in a waterfall while wearing a sleeveless blouse. Despite this, it was a huge commercial success, running for 100 days in theatres.[4]
Notes
- The term is usually associated with Indian widows, given the colour of the clothes they wear upon entering widowhood.[1]
References
- Raghavan, Nikhil (5 December 2016). "Jaya, a class act". The Week. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- "1960 - 1992: Jayalalithaa's journey as a movie star". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
- "Vennira Aadai Songs". raaga. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
- "Jayalalithaa acted in A-rated film Vennira Aadai, but was forced to skip watching it". The Financial Express. 8 December 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2017.